Masterton dad with baseball bat fights off alleged burglar after spate of break-ins

A Masterson father has fought off an alleged burglar with a baseball bat, whacking him across the back and legs after he sneaked on to his property for the second time in two nights.

Bradley Churchward, 43, was on edge after his elderly neighbours were burgled on Friday night, the same night his 14-year-old son heard someone rummaging through their shed, putting the father on high alert.

Then on Saturday night while lying in bed, Churchward saw a shadow through his bedroom window.

“I was thinking, ‘Is this guy going to come back?’” he told the Herald. “My neighbours had been in tears after having their car broken into the night before. My son had heard rummaging in the shed as well.”

Worried it was a burglar, he told his son to hide under the bed while he grabbed his baseball bat.

Churchward could see the alleged burglar walking on to his property right under his son’s bedroom window.

That’s when he walked outside to confront the man.

This is the moment a Masterton father armed with a baseball bat confronted and hit an alleged burglar who had been snooping around his property.

“My son was already quite scared. So my parenting instincts kicked in. Someone’s already been on my property. There he was walking up my footpath, a black thing around his face, right under my boy’s bedroom window. I had a split-second decision to make whether to confront the guy or not. So I grabbed the bat and ran outside.

“I was on my lawn... he hadn’t seen me. I popped out beside my letterbox and said, ‘Hey mother f***er are you robbing houses around here again?’

“He said ‘Eh, f*** off!’ Then he took a step towards me with his hand in his pocket. That’s when my instincts kicked in. I had a split second to defend myself. So I cracked him twice in the legs. I didn’t want to knock him out. I just wanted to give him a warning that he can’t come on my property and do this in our neighbourhood.

“He goes flying back... as he went to grab his phone that he dropped, I cracked him across the back with the bat. He runs off, and I jogged after him for a few seconds just to see where he went to.

“I don’t condone violence. I really don’t. Some people are saying I should have kept going. But I had to do enough to protect my family. I can’t let my 14-year-old son live in fear.”

The incident was caught on camera and uploaded by Churchward, who said he posted it to warn the community to be vigilant.

Bradley Churchward said he hit the man twice in the legs and once on the back before the alleged offender fled the scene.

The 43-year-old father said police arrived shortly after neighbours called them following the commotion.

Wairarapa Police Senior Sergeant and area response manager Gareth Barnes confirmed the incident, but warned the public to not take matters into their own hands.

“Wairarapa Police are urging members of the public encountering suspicious activities to contact police in the first instance and not to take matters into their own hands.

“Initial enquiries indicate the person who called police has assaulted the person who was allegedly acting suspiciously.

“Inquiries are ongoing to determine the circumstances surrounding the Saturday night incident.

“Police are currently speaking to one of the individuals involved in the incident and would like to encourage the other party to come forward to assist with the investigation.

“If you have any information relating to this incident please contact police on 105 or report online, quoting the event number P059065515.”

While Churchward doesn’t encourage others to take the same actions he did, he has been left frustrated at the police response and feels like he he being treated as the one at fault.

The law states that people have the right to defend their property under the Crimes Act. However, it must not be excessive in terms of force.

Churchward says the footage shows he didn’t use excessive force. “I’m just a hard working average Kiwi bloke and I just wanted to protect my son.”

However, he did praise police who arrived at the scene, with the 43-year-old father claiming officers on duty told him well done for defending his family.

He has also been praised by his community, with many saying the offender “might think twice now” and that on occasion “old fashioned justice” is needed.

While he understands that hitting the alleged offender could land him in trouble, he has a message for anyone thinking of committing crime in his neighbourhood.

“Think twice before you do this, because you’re not always going to get a grandma.”